Puerto Viejo

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I was very pleasantly suprised when we reached Puerto Viejo as we had been recommended a hostal called Rockin J´s by our friend and the place really lived up to our expectations. The hostal is a mix of dorm rooms, camping and hammocks and is completly covered n mosaics. The tablñes and chairs all have weird random items stuck to them such as lighters, swiss knives, old books and playing cards. The hostel is literally on the beach with a really cool bonfire area ready for the guests to use. It must be the most chilled out hostel i have stayed in and the town was even more relaxed. You could instantly tell that you were on the Caribbean side of the country as there was reggae music playing all over town, the sounds of waves crashing, rustafrians riding around on bikes smoking weed and the colours of the Jamiacan flag as far as the eye can see. I loved it! We literally spent all of our time exploring the beautiful white sandy beaches, drinking cocktails whilst listening to Bob Marley and cycling around town. My favourite day was definatly our bike trip to Manzanilla beach at the far end of the town. We had had a heavy night before partying the night away in one of the many beach bars, drinking cubre libres, drinking way too many shots and dancing to salsa music. I woke up very worse for wear the next day in my hammock and the rocking and heat only added to my feeling of sea sickness. However, riding on my bike with the wind in my face is all i could have asked for to rid me of my hangover. The scenery along the coast was stunning, its amazing how colourful the caribbean coastline is, everything is bright blue, green , yellow and white. Its stunning! When we reached ,Manzanilla beach, i was amazed. The beach was jaw droppingly beautiful, like something out of a film. The beach is long, white and blue and at the far end is a sort of lagoon type structure formed of rocks and forest. I could have stayed there all day just swimming in the warm sea and sunbathing in the blazing sun. The food i Puerto Viejo was really amazing. For some reason i failed to realise beforehand how alike Costa Rican food is to Jamaican food. Its all rice and beans, chicken, fruit shakes and coconut. I instantly loved it. We also discovered the most amazing ice cream shop and particularly the best peanut ice cream i have ever eaten. We literally went back everyday we were there to have more. The owner loved us by the end of our stay there!lol! I would definatly go nack to Puerto Viejo again, its basically a chilled out rustafarian paradise. I didnt want to leave but Nicaragua was calling!

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